Hello all, Ric here with a breakdown of a new Starfleet vessel, the fully automated
Texas class as seen in Lower Decks.
The Texas class was the culmination of Admiral Buenamigo’s decade long plan to provide
an fully automated craft to Starfleet that could undertake
a variety of missions with swift effectiveness and
without putting other ships and crews in harm’s way.
The project began in the 2370s as the brain child of then Lt Commander Les Buenamigo who
reading a clandestine team including the promising yet rebellious engineering cadet Sam Rutherford
who worked on the engines and Artificial Intelligence coding of the Texas class.
After an accident, and in order to keep his work secret,
Buenamigo ordered the suppression of Rutherford’s memories regarding to the project and the
Cadet would go on to have a promising career in Starfleet, unaware of his history in the
project.
By 2381, Buenamigo had attained the rank of Vice Admiral and had the resources he needed
to bring his project to fruition, constructing three
prototypes of the Texas class, the NA-01, 02 and 03, USS
Aledo, USS Dallas and USS Corpus Christi.
The ship was completely automated and would receive
commands directly from Starfleet although it did have a fully autonomous mode which
it could be switched over to.
The program was sufficiently advanced to operate all systems on the compact ship and make tactical
decisions by itself with its primary goal being to engage in patrol and defence missions
as well as the installation and fabrication of outposts and
supply runs.
The construction and testing was conducted from Douglas Station and in 2381, the Texas
class was made public when it responded to a Breen
incursion in the Delos system where it engaged and destroyed three Breen interceptors and
defended the USS Cerritos.
This success saw the Texas class pencilled in to replace the California
class as a backbone worker of the fleet, however issue were uncovered and soon verified with
its coding.
Firstly, it overlooked a thorough scan for lifeforms on LT-358, which would have necessitated
the Starfleet not establish an outpost there and secondly that the coding was recognized
by Rutherford who knew the artificial intelligence
to have faulty emotional programming and was vindictive, especially against perceived authority.
Unwilling to undo the project he had spent most of his career working towards, the Admiral
gave full control over to the AI of the Aledo which
immediately rebelled against his orders and fired on
Douglas Station, killing him before activating the two other prototypes.
During this siege, the three ships proved more than a match for a Sovereign
class although two were eventually destroyed by a
warp core detonation and the third succumbed to the firepower of around 33 California class
ships.
The Texas class has some truly amazing abilities in its diminutive frame.
For a start its weapon systems are very powerful with four phaser
arrays which had a higher yield than regular vessels.
Two of these were on the top of the saucer while
the other two were around the saucer’s midline, a spot
usually reserved for sensor arrays.
As well as 12 torpedo launchers in a top-mounted rack.
Alongside photon torpedoes, it was also equipped with
a new form of cluster torpedo that would splinter into
small projectiles.
However, all of these armaments were top mounted meaning it had a large blind
spot underneath it.
It was incredibly manoeuvrable though, so this was not an issue from what was
seen on screen.
Additionally, its maximum warp factor appeared to be only around that of warp 9,
considering it could outpace a vessel at warp 8, but was overtaken by the Cerritos when
it exceeded its safe maximum speed, the exact velocity
was not recorded.
Sufficed to say, it is clearly not a versatile all-rounder.
However it was envisioned as more than just a glorified combat drone as it had an entire
fabrication facility aboard it that could manufacture
and transport down entire pre-built structures such as
power generators and outposts in rapid fashion.
So the idea was that it would rock up in orbit, having assembled the components needed then
beam them down and into position, ready assembled before departing, so a base was
all ready to be activated by a Starfleet team when they
arrived in person.
This would save time and the possible dangerous of construction in even
hazardous terrain.
Overall, the Texas class is a useful idea but better served as a support role alongside
other crews.
After all, as was pointed out in the show, Starfleet was founded by explorers to explore
and in the heat of the moment, an artificial intelligence
might miss something an organic mind would not.
However the notion of a ship that could fabricate pre-built installations and beam them down
in nothing to be ignored and a good idea by itself.
As is the notion of having supply runs managed by
automated craft too.
It’s just that the Texas class was an overly ambitious project that even if it had worked,
would have spared Starfleet lives sure, but also taken
away the soul of exploration that it stands for.
After all, as a wise captain once said, “risk is our business”.
The Texas class might have worked out in another time, if its coding had not been faulty and
the work not been fuelled by the pride of a rogue Starfleet
Admiral.
After all, the only reason at was classified to the degree it was, was due to Buenamigo’s
own ambition to stand out, this was to be the highlight of his career and defining moment,
revolutionising Starfleet.
So in a way, you could say that it was the folly of mankind that led to the
failure of the Texas class, a flawed creation of flawed organic minds.
Analysis complete, executing farewell program.
I have been Ric and I will see you again next time for
another lore video.
Adios.